Frydenberg energy plan merits support

To this day, a statement by the first chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), has resounded throughout the world: ‘‘Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable – the art of the next best.’’ This notion is also expressed in the more recent axioms that politics is the art of compromise, and indeed is more about art than science. Viewed through this powerful prism, Australia’s energy policy has until recent months reflected limited artistry and an insufficient regard for science.

Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg: a
 powerful man with a power plan is having trouble
getting colleagues to see the light.

In recent days, an update from the Coalition government on the National Energy Guarantee, a policy to establish a carbon emissions reduction guarantee in the electricity market alongside a reliability guarantee, has reignited internecine strife, with supporters of coal-generated power pushing, in effect, for a delay in the inevitable and economically and environmentally responsible transition to a low-carbon economy. Such ideological intransigence has generated a decade of policy failure; the biggest impediment to the transition has been the lack of certainty. The lack of a clear and consistent policy has shackled the necessary investment in renewable energy.

Read the Editorial from today’s Age - “Frydenberg energy plan merits support.”